Unprecedented possibilities in energy sector, says PM Modi at IEW event

BENGALURU: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that India, which is working with the resolve to become a developed nation, has “unprecedented possibilities” in the energy sector. Today, India had brought great opportunities for investors and other stakeholders in the energy sector, he noted.

Addressing the India Energy Week 2023 event in Bengaluru, the PM said, “The energy sector plays a major role in deciding the future of the world in the 21st century. India is one of the strongest voices today in developing new resources of energy and in the energy transition”. Since 2014, the whole world is watching India’s commitment and efforts regarding green energy, he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot and Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai at the India Energy Week event.

He further said that today India ranks fourth in the world in terms of wind power capacity. We are aiming for 50 per cent non-fossil fuel capacity by the end of this decade, he stated. India will see a rising number of new cities in the coming time; the findings of the International Energy Association state that India will have the maximum energy demands in the coming decade, he asserted.

“In the last nine years, the renewable energy capacity in India has increased from about 70 GW to about 170 GW. In this too, solar power capacity has increased more than 20 times”, he said. Lauding the increasing internet reach across the country, PM Modi said, “The number of broadband users in India has become nine times than it was nine years ago, and the number of internet connections has tripled in the same period”.

Delegates at the India Energy Week event.

The PM pointed out that over 6 lakh km of optical fibre network has been laid to provide internet facilities to the villages. In 2014, the length of the gas pipelines in India was around 14,000 km; now it stands at over 22,000 km. This network will cross 35,000 km in length in the next 4-5 years, he said.

“The mantra of ‘Reduce, Re-use and Recycle’ has been in our traditions. The recent example of recycling plastic bottles into the fabrics of uniforms is splendid. If we target the recycling of 10 crore such bottles a year, it will truly play a significant role in environmental protection. This will also strengthen the ‘Mission LiFE'”, he noted. Today, the lives of people are being transformed. Right from their social and economic empowerment, the needs for their digital upgradation and empowerment have also been fulfilled.

The PM also unveiled a twin-cooktop model of the solar cooking system, developed by Indian Oil, at the event. (ANI)